it's like this.

seriously?

2009-02-05T12:22:00.001-06:00

2009-01-27T08:00:00.001-06:00

I love Ingrid Michaelson, and you should too.

Ingrid Michaelson - New Music - More Music Videos

2009-01-26T18:17:00.004-06:00

This is a video of my cat Jack, who got himself stuck
between the window and the screen.
It is also poorly commentated by none other than myself.
[I take videos for my parents back home, so they can see what my life in Henderson is like.]

Why I love The Office:

2009-01-25T16:38:00.003-06:00

Dwight: Jim, Jim, Jim. Jim, Jim, Jim, Jim, Jim, Jim, Jim.

Jim: Oh, hey Dwight.

Dwight: I am going to be your new boss. Heheheh. It is my greatest dream come true. Welcome to the Hotel Hell. Check-in time is now, check-out time is never.

Jim: Does my room have cable?

Dwight: No! And the sheets are made of fire!

Jim: Can I change rooms?

Dwight: Sorry, we're all booked up! Hell convention in town.

Jim: Can I have a late check-out?

Dwight: I'll have to talk to the manager.

Jim: You're not the manager, even in your own fantasy?

Dwight: I'm the owner. The co-owner with Satan!

Jim: Okay, just so I understand it, in your wildest fantasy you are in hell, and you are co-running a bed and breakfast with the devil.

Dwight: Yeah, but I haven't told you my salary yet.

Jim: Go.

Dwight: Eighty thousand dollars a year!

2009-01-06T20:33:00.003-06:00

Something about Henderson You Should Know

On sunny, cloudless days, Henderson looks quaint and homey. On dreary, cold, wet days, Henderson looks like it got left behind. The Kirk Cameron kind.

2008-12-08T18:00:00.005-06:00

Here's how my life has been lately, and what the near future holds for it.

I was working like crazy in November. I had to put together Children's Sabbath in our contemporary service. This is when the children's ministry takes over big church and shows them how we roll. It went extremely well. The kids and I led the adults in worship to music with motions, and then I gave the message. I've heard I did a good job, but I don't really remember.

The following weekend the Todd Wright Band played at Roots, and did amazingly awesome.

Work started getting heavier as December got closer because we were starting a new curriculum in children's ministry on Sunday morning. There was a lot of stuff that needed to be put in order, and I was pretty busy.

This past weekend was the best weekend I've had in a long time. I went to Lufkin to have some photos taken with Brad. We didn't have a lot of photos together, and Brad worked it out with his neighbor, who is a photographer, to have a session done as one of my Christmas presents. I was super excited! We went over to get started. She says she wants to take some individual shots, so she situates Brad and takes some photos. Next I'm up, so I do my best to concentrate and listen to her directions. I hear Brad say, "I need to ask you something" and think, "um hello, I'm posing here" but look over anyway. Brad was down on one knee holding a ring in his hand! He asked me to marry him, and needless to say, I said yes! I am so rediculously happy, I can't even begin to explain it. I can't wait to see what the future holds for us.

I'm not sure how to end this... so...

WE'RE ENGAGED!

2008-11-19T14:04:00.000-06:00

If I had a Roomba, my cat Jack would do the same thing.

2008-11-14T09:48:00.001-06:00

Why isn't this a bigger deal?

2008-11-06T13:20:00.001-06:00

Thought this was an interesting concept.

Source: Beyond Relevance

2008-10-22T18:26:00.003-05:00

What was the most disappointing candy
to get on Halloween?

2008-10-19T14:17:00.002-05:00

I hereby declare every Sunday henceforth:

Sunday

due to the fact that it is so dang delicious and I feel the need to make up for all the lost chicken I never ate because Chicken Express is not in Florida.

Join me in my quest for delectable chicken on a weekly basis.

2008-10-08T22:07:00.002-05:00

I'm giving the announcements in church this Sunday.
I hope I don't do something like this.

2008-10-03T21:24:00.001-05:00

2008-10-01T22:18:00.006-05:00

I have to say, when I watched Sarah Palin speak at the Republican National Convention I really, really liked her. She has spunk and is a really charismatic speaker. But lately... geez. What do you think? Have you seen any of her recent interviews? Are you going to watch the VP debate on Thursday? Will the debate camp she's been in all week be enough?

Also, go here. I heart Tina Fey. [What's sad is that a couple of her lines are direct quotes from Palin.]

[Update: I have to say, she held her own.]

2008-09-24T14:51:00.003-05:00

[this post was written in a dull, monotonous tone. please read it as such.]

it's been one of those days.

the only thing standing between me and the weekend is my staff retreat tomorrow.

I'm sure I'll have something to say between now and then.

in the meantime, enjoy this Wario for Wii preview. I thought the ad concept was cool.

grossness.

2008-09-22T14:32:00.005-05:00

So I'm sitting in my office addressing envelopes, and I decide I need some envelope addressing tunes. For all the yuck that is myspace, I have to admit I really like the fact that I can listen to a lot of artists' music for free, if they choose to post it on their personal sites.

I go to Chris Tomlin's myspace site, because I'm in the mood for "Let God Arise". Great song. Anyway, here's a part of what Tomlin's "About Me" section says:

"Tomlin doesn’t find a great amount of value in hashing over his musical journey again and again. It’s not that he’s disinterested, it’s more that he’s much more interested in the present.

“I want to talk about what’s right now,” says Tomlin, the singer/songwriter/worship leader/Texas native/three-time Gospel Music Association male vocalist of the year/two-time GMA artist of the year/two-time GRAMMY nominee/most sung Christian artist in the United States. (Sorry, Chris…we had to recap it all somewhere.)"

I know that a rep probably wrote this.

But can anyone tell me why this still really bothers me? I can't quite put my finger on it.

[On a side note, I love that being a Texas native is listed among his many humble accomplishments.]

2008-09-19T17:32:00.002-05:00

why oh why do we do this?

2008-09-11T19:33:00.002-05:00

moving to Texas is the most expensive thing I've ever done.

y'all have new resident taxes out the wazoo.

it'll be worth it, right?

don't worry, I'm alive. and it's a long one.

2008-09-10T18:54:00.004-05:00

I have had a crazy insane whirlwind of a week! here's a brief rundown, let me know if you think I left anything out!

(I credit this blog's format to David Runnels.)

8.31: I went to my last official service at Lufkin FUMC. It was bittersweet. I was excited to be starting a new chapter in my life, but sad to be leaving Lufkin. Words can't express how much I love the town and the people there. When I was saying bye to David and Karen, Debbie Anderson came in and hollered that she was ready to go to lunch, and I kind of sort of gave her the hand. That didn't go over well. We went to lunch, during which Debbie gave me the hand approximately 8 times. Then Brad and I packed up my car and his truck and headed out for Henderson. When we got there, I met the Michalek's, the people I was going to be staying with until I could find permanent housing (which is scarce in Henderson). They are a great couple, and are ridiculously hospitable. I've loved my stay with them. Brad and I unpacked the cars and I settled in. We ate dinner with the Michalek's and spent some time getting to know them. Later Brad headed home.

9.1: Labor Day, on which I did no labor. I spent the day inside mostly, doing school work. I also broke in my new Nintendo ds, compliments of David.

9.2: My first day of work went okay. I spent most of the day feeling incredibly overwhelmed. I met with what felt like a million different people to hear how things are normally run but with the assurance that I could change things up. I decorated my office, and that helped a little. I have an office. Craziness.

9.3: I don't really remember this day. Sorry.

9.4: More of the same.

9.5: My first staff meeting was interesting. They do it differently than any other staff meeting I've attended before in that the person who leads the meeting rotates weekly. I think that's a good thing. The prayer time was also different. At Lufkin First we read three names each from the member's list. At Henderson First we each read one name at a time in quick succession, one right after the other off of the official prayers and concerns list, until every person is named. You really have to keep up and concentrate on this. In the midst of the pressure, it honestly felt really meaningful.

9.6: I found an apartment! Housing in Henderson is ridiculous, because there haven't been any new developments built in a reeeeeeaaaaaaaalllllllyyyyy long time. The only thing I found in my search were creepy apartments and a duplex with no air conditioning. I finally found a nice apartment that's affordable and in a nice neighborhood. I can't wait to move in! I went to Lufkin that night. Brad took me to Target, dinner and a movie, and it was great to spend time with him after a long week. I stayed the night in Alicia's old room, now the Anderson's guest room.

9.7: Spent the morning with Brad. We got some Chick-fil-a for breakfast, which was marvelous as there's not one in Henderson and I'd been craving it all week. Then we went to Walmart and did some apartment decor shopping! I got a ton of cool stuff to decorate with. Afterwards we went to his storage unit to figure out what we were moving to my apartment and what was staying. Then we went back to the house to watch some of The Office Season 4 before it was time for him to go to work. I headed back to Henderson.

9.8: My first Sunday was good. Our contemporary service is at 8:45, so I was kind of dragging. I had to get to the church at 7:30 to set up some "Creation Stations" for Sunday school at 10. First service went well, the music was good and the message was short and to the point; it was about waking up and remembering that the kingdom of of God is at hand. I helped hand out Bibles to our third and fourth graders, as this Sunday was our promotion Sunday. Next came Sunday school. I had been asked to plan a kick-off for the new school year, so I came up with Creation Stations. Each station represented a different day of the world's creation, because this is what they would have been learning about had Sunday school been typical. The kids got to plant seeds, draw the night sky with chalk, and discover the things that God made unique about them. It went really well and I think the kids had a great time. Then came our traditional service at 11. It was the same as the earlier service, but with a choir. All in all a good day.

This week has been more of the same, but I'm definitely starting to get my feet on the ground. I'm moving into my apartment this weekend, and I can't wait!

2008-09-01T18:41:00.001-05:00

so...

I start my new job tomorrow.

and I'm super nervousexcitedlookingforwardtoitwanttocry.

wish me luck!

survey.

2008-08-22T07:01:00.004-05:00

You get to erase 1 band from music history.

Who do you choose?

2008-08-16T16:07:00.003-05:00

here's a cool site that I ran across recently. The community at Mygazines shares, uploads, and archives relatively hi-res scans of nearly every page in a magazine. I think it's a great concept, but I can't decide whether I'm pirating or not when I use it. I love that when you look through the magazines, it's like you're actually turning pages.

also, I can't decide if this video is cute or if I should fear the world my kids will be growing up in.

2008-08-14T11:17:00.009-05:00

As my summer here in Lufkin comes to a close, here are some things I've learned:

David can, and almost certainly will, drop you with his flip flop kick.
Scott has incredibly precise aim when it comes to the flinging of his sneaker.
I have more fun when I loosen up.
Texas really is better... in some ways.
My maximum capacity for no contact with a beach is three months tops.
Letting go of control and trusting God with my life is one of the most difficult things I've ever had to do.
The schoolers at First Lufkin are among some of the coolest kids on the planet.
I can cook. Some stuff. And occasionally it turns out.
The Batman video still cracks me up after 14 views. And I mean, cracks me up.
The Bread Box + frequent stops + cotton candy = blue puke.
The Master Blaster is not worth the wait.

What are some things you've learned this summer?

enunciate.

2008-08-09T19:36:00.002-05:00

while I absolutely LOVED The Dark Knight, I completely agree with the following:

funny stuff.

two in a row doesn't make it regular.

2008-08-06T15:13:00.005-05:00

was pretty sweet. I woke up about 8 or so, watched some Fresh Prince, and headed into work. When I arrived I was told that instead of attending staff meeting I was going to be serving snack at the drama/music camp that's here at the church this week. So I headed over to the worship building and served up some popcorn and Kool-Aid. There were about 20 kids, and they all seemed to be having a good time.

afterwards I came back to the office for a few minutes before leaving to go to lunch at Del Rio with David, Scott, and Mike. I just had tortillas with honey and butter, but they were delicious and satisfying. I came back to the office and did some reading for school. Eventually I headed home, and as I was pulling into my driveway Brad called and asked if I wanted to go to lunch with him. Of course I did, so I pulled back out of the driveway, drove to Sam's to pick him up, and then we grabbed some Taco Bell.

and it was while we were sitting in the truck eating that Brad got THE CALL.

THE CALL let him know that he was being given a conditional job offer to work for the DPS! This is really amazing fantastic great super awesome magnificent and good news! He goes to Austin next week to take physical, psychological, polygraph, and drug tests, and if he passes those (which shouldn't be an issue) he's in the DPS Academy. We had been waiting on THE CALL for over a week, and I'm glad we finally got it - it's definitely a weight off of our shoulders.

after calling several people to share the good news, Brad's mom called me to discuss everything and she suggested we all go out to dinner to celebrate. So I got dressed semi-fancy and headed over to the Anderson's. When Brad got home from work we headed back into town and went to Applebee's, where Brad, his dad, and the waiter had some fun at my expense because I ordered a chicken sandwich and said "bacon and cheese only", which they took to mean I didn't want the chicken part. ha ha, guys.

when we got home from dinner I checked my email and found out that I have another interview next Tuesday. This is also really amazing fantastic great super awesome magnificent and good news, and I really hope it goes well. It would be another weight off of my shoulders if I knew that my job situation was basically squared away.

anyway... I think that about covers it, so...

have a lovely day.

2008-07-29T14:59:00.009-05:00

[because apparently Friday's are all the rage, and because I've been known to shake my fist at convention, I've decided to update my wide readership on the happenings of my Tuesday's. Maybe I'll do this regularly, and maybe I won't, but whatever I decide to do will defy convention, because I'm rebellious and such.]

I set my alarm at 6 this morning so I could wake up/talk to Brad before his DPS interview. I went back to sleep until around 7:30, when Brad called me to let me know he had found the place okay and was heading in. I don't remember the entire conversation, but I think I might have told him to "knock 'em dead", which is not something I normally say as I firmly believe in the sixth commandment. But you never know what you're gonna get when I first wake up.

Around 8 I turned on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and ate some toast, then got dressed and headed into work at about 9.

I actually beat David to the office for once, and it was oddly quiet. I checked my email, which I've been doing quite frequently as of late, for any updates on job interviews. I have two potential interviews up in the air, but I'm waiting to hear back on the official dates because several SPR reps are out on vacation. [Update: Just found out I've got an interview on Thursday evening! Yay!] Around 10 we headed over to the conference room for staff meeting which was uneventful. I stepped out during staff meeting because I saw that Brad was calling, and got caught up on how his interview went (it went well, by the way).

After staff meeting we came back to the office and I played this game until lunch (I love it because it requires organization and planning ahead). David, Karen and I went up to Nac to have lunch with Ricky Ricks, the east district Lakeview coordinator, who wanted to hear our take on the week we spent at camp. We went to Auntie Pasta's, which is most definitely not my favorite restaurant. I'm finding out that I may not like Italian food, but the jury is still out. After lunch I went to the Runnels' new home, which I loved. I'm excited to see it all come together.

Now I'm about to meet up with Brad and relax for the rest of the afternoon. I foresee some Alias in my immediate future.

Have a lovely day.

yes please.

2008-07-29T09:35:00.002-05:00

The disciple living by grace rather than law has undergone a decisive conversion - a turning from mistrust to trust. The foremost characteristic of living by grace is trust in the redeeming work of Jesus Christ.

To believe deeply, as Jesus did, that God is present and at work in human life is to understand that I am a beloved child of this Father and hence, free to trust. That makes a profound difference in the way I relate to myself and others; it makes an enormous difference in the way I live. To trust Abba, both in prayer and life, is to stand in childlike openness before a mystery of gracious love and acceptance.

:Brennan Manning:

2008-07-22T18:21:00.002-05:00

I took today off of work to spend the day with Brad. He's been working everyday for almost a week, and even though I get to spend most evenings with him, he's pretty exhausted by the time he makes his way over to my house. I thought it would be nice to spend a non-exhausted day together, and I was right! We mostly spent the day running little errands, but after getting some wings for lunch followed by sno-cones for dessert, Brad took me to Lack's Home Furnishings! I love interior design, and so this was heaven on earth for me. (I feel like a huge dork as I read over that last sentence.) We spent some time wandering around the store picking out our dream entertainment center and living room furniture. Apparently a comfy recliner is a must.

Afterwards we watched a couple episodes of Alias. We're on season four, and I have reached the point of being ready to be done with it. I love spending the time with Brad, but J.J. Abrams had already left the show to write for LOST at this point, and all the acting skills in the world can't bring it back to its earlier greatness.

Then we cooked dinner. (I love the homey feeling it brings.) I made homemade mashed potatoes! This was a feat in and of itself. I kind of just act like I know what I'm doing when Brad's around the kitchen, and secretly have panic attacks as soon as his back is turned. I've only made mashed potatoes once before, so I was nervous, but they turned out edible. Yummy, even.

In summary: fantastic day.

2008-07-18T18:03:00.002-05:00

just saw Batman. it. was. awesome.

happenings and such.

2008-07-06T16:32:00.004-05:00

here's a basic recap of my life over the last month:

Insomniac: ah, the annual no-holds-barred, no sleep necessary, no-boring-allowed schooler trip designed to celebrate the start of summer. This year Insomniac took us to Arlington, Texas where we took in the Texas night sky at the planetarium, watched Kung Fu Panda in IMAX, and go-karted to our heart's content. Also featured on this trip: Adrienne puking. It was blue. It was awesome.

UMARMY: this was an amazing, if not hectic, week of providing free home repair to those who are unable to afford it in Willis, Texas. While it's the kids who do most of the work on this mission trip, I along with the ever-amazing Karen and the Debbies did a ton of behind the scenes work in order to help the week go smoothly. I also got to spend some time with Brad's good friend Justin, and learned what all the hype is about.

Lakeview: the week-long summer camp that shall not be mentioned here or hereafter.

Fourth of July: was me and Brad's one year anniversary! We spent the day in Tyler, shopping at one of the most glorious malls I've seen in Texas thus far, saw Hancock (it was really good, I recommend it), and eating burgers at Friday's. Brad got me a gorgeous dress and I got him two more polo shirts to add to his collection. If you see him looking particularly good and sporting a polo, it's probably one of the shirts I got him. It was really refreshing to be able to spend an entire day with my amazing boyfriend after such a long month. I can't believe we've been together for an entire year because it's gone by so fast, but it's honestly been the best year of my life.

etc: Brad got me a BlackJack, and I flippin' love it.

that about wraps it up. School started last week, and I just realized today that I have school everyday until the end of the year. Look forward to posts complaining about that in the future. I don't have any more major trips coming up, so maybe I can actually blog every now and then. Todd should be pleased.

it starts.

2008-06-07T15:03:00.004-05:00

This week was the first official week of summer, and we kicked it off with a schooler* mission trip to Luling, Texas to build Personal Energy Transportation carts, or PETs. These carts can be pedaled by hand and give mobility back to someone who has lost it. It was an absolutely amazing experience. Over the course of only three days I watched nine kids transform as they grew more and more confident in their building skills, in their relationships with each other, and in their understanding of the justice God wants us to seek in the name of his kingdom.

On the last full day of the trip we went to Schlitterbahn in New Braunfels. At the risk of offending Texans everywhere, what follows is my reaction to the water park:

meh.

I had tons of fun hanging out with the kids, don't get me wrong. But water-park-wise I wasn't too impressed. I recognize that the park is lined up along the river in order to pump in water, but I found it hard to navigate. The east/west park set up was just weird, and there wasn't a lot of ride-type-variation.

Also, I think that the ambiance of the park has so much potential that isn't being tapped into. I mean, the German theme isn't the coolest, but if carried through could work. In my opinion, everything about Schlitterbahn seemed so random and full of advertisements that it just hurt to look at. They need to visit Disney's Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach and take some notes on theme. Those water parks take a single idea and expand upon it tastefully and well.

I say all of this because I know that Schlitterbahn regularly checks my blog to get ideas on park layout and theme carry-through.

Moving on...

This week is VBS, and I'm excited!

and just because I can:

[*the phrase 'schooler' is a loving and endearing term for a middle schooler. schoolers rock. seriously.]

this had a title, but I forgot it.

2008-05-29T09:56:00.003-05:00

Lately I've been noticing that I'm forgetting things a lot. I mean, I'm not missing appointments or leaving things and forgetting where they are (yet), but I am forgetting what I was going to say very often and I'm having a hard time focusing. Even as I'm typing this my mind is wandering and I'm trying to decide if I should get some brownies and ice cream for the Lost party tonight. I mean, that sounds delicious, but I'm not sure if it goes with the chips and dip theme I've got going on. But would anyone notice, let alone mind, if the brownie and ice cream they were eating didn't match the theme, as long as it was scrumptious?

This is what I mean. When I set out to write this blog, I honestly had a main idea and several supporting points to back my thesis, but I honestly can't remember them. What's become of me? I've recently turned the big 2-2 and I'm thinking that this may be the top of the hill for me, and I can only go down from here.

Or maybe I just need to take some vitamins, right Dad?

I've also been waking up (like, wide-awake-waking-up) between 6:30 and 6:45 every morning for the last week or so. Maybe that has something to do with it?

Diagnosis, anyone?

Five. 5. Cinco.

2008-05-23T16:26:00.005-05:00

I've been tagged by Todd to do this survey, so here we go!

What were you doing 5 years ago?
1. Finishing up my last year of high school.
2. Working as a children's pastor.
3. Fighting God on the whole ministry-as-a-career thing.
4. Still thinking I wanted to be a shark biologist.
5. Spending a lot of time at the beach.

5 things on your to-do list today?
1. Meet with Karen for UMARMY prep (done!).
2. Pick up some Texas toast and brown mascara (done!).
3. Start watching Alias from the beginning of Season 1 (maybe).
4. Unpack my books a little.
5. Cook dinner.

5 snacks you enjoy?
in no particular order:
1. potato chips (my biggest food weakness).
2. pudding.
3. ice cream.
4. chocolate covered chocolate chip granola bars (I reason that these are healthy candy bars).
5. macaroni and cheese (Kraft please!).

5 things you would do if you were a billionaire?
1. Pay off my and my family's debt (was that proper grammar?).
2. Buy a house.
3. With a walk-in-closet.
4. Buy a car that's not a mom-mobile (not that I have anything against them).
5. Take a vacation to an island that has a movie theater, a SuperTarget, and no people (except those required to run said theater and Target).

5 of your bad habits?
1. I eat terribly (either not enough or too much crap).
2. I check my email way too often.
3. When I'm with my brother Brandon, I/we use too many inside jokes.
4. I relate every situation I'm in to an Office episode, which can lead to uncontrollable quoting of Michael Scott.
5. I'm only selectively patient.

5 places you've lived?
1. Orlando, Florida.
2. Jacksonville, North Carolina.
3. Deltona, Florida.
4. St. Augustine, Florida.
5. Lufkin, Texas.

5 jobs you've had?
1. Childcare worker at Pine Ridge Fellowship.
2. Children's pastor at Pine Ridge Fellowship.
3. Camp counselor at a United Methodist summer camp.
4. Sales associate at Ann Taylor and Old Navy (gross).
5. Intern at Lufkin FUMC.

5 tags and why:
I don't know 5 people who blog and haven't already been tagged for this, but I think that my dear friend Lori's responses to these questions would be humorous and enlightening.

I'm feelin' it.

2008-05-22T15:05:00.001-05:00

so far.

2008-05-14T08:45:00.013-05:00

here's a quick rundown of my life thus far in Lufkin:

Moving In: this is much more time consuming than I thought. The Peterson family was incredibly amazing to allow me to stay in their guest house this summer, and I have tons of space. It feels kind of weird to go from having the smallest room in my parent's house (cough, cough if you're reading this, Dad) to having an entire house to myself. Movin' on up.
Workin': the kids here are not out of school yet, so there's not too much programming work to be done. But I have been in the office, getting readjusted and organizing and calendaring, which if you know anything about me means heaven on earth. I just got this calendar at Target yesterday, and it has brought me much joy.
Grocery Shopping: this actually really stressed me out. There's only one Walmart here in town, and it's always busy. And, on top of like a million and a half people running around, they did not have several food items at this Walmart that I normally eat back home, which as Brad can attest almost led me to tears. Last summer I could live without strawberry-watermelon popsicles, because eventually I would be home and able to eat them to my heart's content. I am incredibly excited and happy to be staying here permanently this time, but at the same time I am definitely noticing that I'm still a little emotional about it all. Which can lead to near break-downs in the middle of the freezer aisle.
Uno Tournaments: so Brad made fun of me when I purchased this game for us to play (I believe his exact phrase was, "yeah, I played that in like third grade..."), but since then he has become obsessed. 5 games out of 7 tournaments now consume my free time, and I'm discovering that even though he might not have played since third grade, he's still really good. I lose most of the time, but Brad is such a gracious winner (ha ha...) that it's still fun. =)

Coming Attractions:

I'm meeting Brad's extended family this weekend, and I'm oddly calm about it. I think it's going to be fun.

punch it in the face?

2008-05-07T20:13:00.005-05:00

so when you have a couple days with absolutely nothing to do and no where to go until, say, Saturday...

how do you kill time?

Stuff Christians Like

2008-05-03T18:33:00.004-05:00

Okay, so I have been reading this blog since before this guy made it cool. It's written by a Christian who likes to poke fun at Christians, himself included. It's pretty insightful and almost always true. It honestly makes me laugh out loud (aka lol) to think about how silly we can be sometimes, and I thought I would share part of a post entitled "Refusing to Take Compliments" with you. I'm thinking about adopting this idea, so please don't take offense if you hear me say it.

...the truth is that I hate compliments. I can't take them. The minute someone says something nice about me I discount it. I say things like, "Oh that was nothing. Anyone could have done that." Or, like many Christians, I say something holy sounding like, "It was all God. To Him be the glory."

Why are compliments the Christian version of kryptonite? What makes us so uncomfortable? My dad told me a story about a minister complimenting a girl after she sang a song. She blushed and rejected his words by saying, "That was not me, that was all God." He responded by saying something like, "I said it was a good song, I didn't think it was heavenly though. No offense, but I think God would have hit that high note."

I completely think that pride is one of our greatest enemies and I constantly have to be on guard for it. That's why I've started going back to counseling. It's so easy to get intoxicated on compliments. And I've seen lots of young pastors crumble under the weight of positive feedback when their churches blow up with attendance. But from this moment forward, if I give you a compliment and you tell me, "God did that, not me," please know that I am going to reply , "Nah, that was you. He would have done a much better job."

2008-04-28T20:32:00.006-05:00

I'm still in the book of John, slowly but surely making my way through it. I've started leaving my Bible on my nightstand, open to the page I need to read so that in the morning I will be excuseless as to why I can't possibly find the energy to open it up.

I know that this is incredibly cliche, and that these days calling something cliche is cliche... however, this was a story that I've read several times before, and for some reason, today it was like news to me.

I'm in John 4:43-54, Jesus Heals an Official's Son (I read a sub-heading at a time, no matter how long or short it is). This is the time when Jesus was walking through Galilee, and a government official who had heard about the whole water into wine incident came to Jesus asking for him to heal his son.

49 The official pleaded, “Lord, please come now before my little boy dies.”

50 Then Jesus told him, “Go back home. Your son will live!” And the man believed what Jesus said and started home. (nlt)

It just kind of hit me: If I had been the father of the sick boy, I would have begged Jesus to come back with me. Pleaded, got down on my knees, and wailed. I wonder how badly that man wanted Jesus to actually go with him, to physically touch his son, to take some kind of tangible action.

But, in the end, the man believed what Jesus said and started home.

There comes a point in every prayer where you have to say, "Okay God, I trust you"; where you have to get up, and go out. I love that Jesus wants us to take risks with him, and to get up and go out not knowing how it's all going to play out.

I want to be a woman who believes what Jesus says, and goes out in those promises.

2008-04-26T13:11:00.003-05:00

I'm packing for Texas.

I don't leave for another 13 days,
not that I'm counting.

Is that weird?

I've actually done this before...

2008-04-22T17:32:00.005-05:00

So my dear friend Lori tagged me to announce seven random things about myself. Here goes:

1. almost all of my pet peeves are grammatical in nature. I hate it when words are purposefully misspelled (like Kidz Korner, Sudz Car Wash, etc). I also hate it when Christian events/groups/what-have-you replace the t's in words with crosses.

2. I have huge emotional ties to the song 'Life is a Highway' by Tom Cochrane. it was me and my dad's windows-down-music-blaring jam song when I was growing up, and I also have distinct memories roller skating in Danny's garage to it when I was 7. it's probably gonna be played at my funeral.

3. Due to the fact that my mom literally sent my cat away to a farm, I don't form attachments to animals anymore. I might have a dog when I get older, but I'll only be pretending to like it.

4. One of my life's goals is to become one of those old people who yell at kids to get off their lawn, keeps the balls that get kicked over their fence, and gives out pennies on Halloween. I'm not kidding.

5. There was a point in my life where I ate Cheetos every day with great relish. now I can't stand them. some people (namely my grandma and people I housesit for) still hearken back to that time when I loved them and give me entire bags of Cheetos because they think they're being nice. and it is nice. it's the thought that counts.

6. I like to jam out to the music I listened to in middle school to be reminded of what dorks we all were back then. mmm bop, baby.

7. I think that lollipops are a waste of time and energy.

2008-04-15T17:07:00.003-05:00

Can I just say that I absolutely love the book of John? Whenever I really need to reconnect with God, it's the first place I turn. I think I'm going to read through the entire book over the next few weeks. For the last couple days I've really been stuck on John 1:16-18:

16 From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another. 17 For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us. (nlt)

When I read this I had the phrase "unfailing love and faithfulness" running through my head all day. God loves me and is faithful to me. That's astounding.

I also love how the last sentence, "He has revealed God to us", sets the stage for the entire book by telling us that everything we see Jesus do and hear Jesus say reveals the character and thoughts of God. Amazing.

What about you? Where in the Bible do you go to reconnect with God? Read anything that blew you away lately?

2008-04-11T18:20:00.004-05:00

I missed it so.

where the heart is.

2008-04-08T16:57:00.002-05:00

I surprised Brad with a visit to Lufkin this weekend, because I know what an awesome birthday present I make. It was an amazing weekend.

Having to walk back into work this morning was like crashing into reality, then backing up and running over it again.

I can't wait for Texas to be my reality. Not that I want to run Texas over. I meant it in a good way.

2008-04-03T12:34:00.001-05:00

want her?

wwjd.

2008-03-31T17:50:00.006-05:00

Okay, so I want to say in advance that I have really weird dreams on a nightly basis. Really really weird dreams. In fact, they're downright strange. Here we go.

You know the story about when Jesus is eating with his disciples and a woman comes and pours a bottle of really expensive perfume on his head? Jesus said that the woman had done a beautiful thing, that she was preparing his body for burial, and that her deed would be spoken of throughout the world whenever the Good News was preached.

I had a dream last night depicting this scene almost word for word...

Except instead of anointing Jesus the woman brought him his dry cleaning.

And the disciples were making sandwiches on Merita bread.

Any prophets in the house? Is God trying to tell me something?

sometimes I wonder...

2008-03-27T18:42:00.003-05:00

[The questions I'm about to ask do not come from a place of bitterness or anger. I'm honestly just wondering. Promise.]

Why do we (and I say "we" in the collective sense, not necessarily literally you and me) as Christians feel the need to have a "Christian" answer to everything the world produces? Why do we attempt to counter everything that's part of pop culture with a cheesier version and a Bible verse?

For example:

And this stuff isn't even the worst of it. Why do we do this?

Also, what is our obsession with using the cross the replace the letter 't' in practically everything? (This is a personal issue for me. That, and replacing the letter 's' with 'z'.)

With all this being said, I do recognize that there is some really modern and creative Christian merch (I feel weird saying that) out there. And I do recognize that at the end of the day it's just a t-shirt or bumper sticker or whatever.

Maybe I'm wrong, and instead of saying that this kind of stuff is attempting to counter a cultural fad I should say that we're participating in it. Or not.

What do you think?

2008-03-25T16:08:00.005-05:00

Best. Show. Ever.

"So where's my sneakers?"
"That's what I want to know."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I saw mom and pop this morning, but when I went by the store on my way home the place was empty. Everything is gone. Mom and pop vanished!"
"So all my sneakers are gone?"
"I'm afraid so, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. I've been asking around. They didn't even have any kids."
"Mom and pop aren't even a mom and pop?"
"It was all an act, Jerry. They conned us, and they scored big time!"
"So, mom and pop's plan was to move into the neighborhood, establish trust - for 48 years - and then run off with Jerry's sneakers?"
"Apparently."
- Jerry, Kramer and Elaine, in "The Mom and Pop Store"

What's your Best. Show. Ever.?

2008-03-22T16:52:00.005-05:00

This morning I woke up to the sounds of a bird singing a beautiful melody...

and was thoroughly annoyed.

Does this make me a bad person?

the good, the bad, and the boycotts.

2008-03-21T15:19:00.010-05:00

The last couple of days have been somewhat interesting. For me, anyway.

I found out on Wednesday that after this semester I'll only have 20 more credit hours to complete before I have my BA in communication. So that means that if I take a couple classes this summer (which would be hard, but not impossible, to do on top of my internship at Lufkin FUMC), and then take 5 classes in the fall, I could be done with school by the end of December.Which would be amazing. Because if you know anything about me at all, you know that school is currently the bane of my existence, and that vanquishing it by the end of the year would be magnificent. Here's hoping.

On Thursday I went with one of my closest friends, Lori, to David's Bridal to watch her try on bridesmaid dresses for her sister's wedding. It was fun, because I've never stepped foot into a bridal store of any kind before, but I was kind of surprised by how grumpy some of the sales people were. I would think that because weddings are usually joyous occasions the people who work at a wedding store would be somewhat joyous too. But I'd be wrong. Disney does lay claim to being the happiest place on earth, but I always thought a wedding dress store would at least be a close second. Maybe it was just an off day.

Today I found out that I have to work on Sunday from 2p-9p. I didn't even realize that Old Navy was open on Easter. I already had plans to spend the day with my family and have Easter dinner, and now, obviously, I can't. I can honestly say that I don't think Brad has ever heard me more livid. When they hired me they asked if I could work weekends and holidays, and I said yes thinking they meant Flag Day or Labor Day. Easter?! I mean seriously, Easter?! I could tell you many other stories of why this particular Old Navy is terrible to work for, but I won't. Just know that effective immediately I am boycotting all Old Navy product for the rest of my life. Yes, I will continue to sell it from Easter all the way til the end of April, but I won't like it. Yeah, I said it, I'm not gonna like it. Take that Old Navy. Happy Easter.

adrienne: hardened criminal.

2008-03-19T15:05:00.002-05:00

So a couple weeks ago, my sister went on a field trip and needed to be picked up from her school when she got back. Even though I was crazy sick, I found it in my heart to crawl to my car and make the drive. I got to the school a few minutes before she got back, and I was so sick and tired (literally), that I put my seat back to lay down and rest a little while I waited. About ten minutes into this resting session, a woman came out of the school and tapped on my window. Half asleep, I rolled it down and she proceeded to tell me that unless I could produce identification and an explanation of what I was doing there, the school was going to call the police. Apparently because I had been motionless for a while, and then put my seat down, it looked like I was trying to conceal myself and they were worried I wanted to harm someone.

Then this morning I ran to Wal-Mart to pick up a few things, and I went through the self-checkout lane. After paying I picked up my stuff and went to leave, but the self-checkout-monitor-lady ran after me, pulled me over to her computer screen and said, "You didn't pay for this stuff you're ringing up!". I explained to her that I couldn't be standing next to her and ringing grocery items up at the same time, which is when she figured out she was looking at another woman's transaction.

I say all of this to actually say... do I look like someone who would stake out a school or steal lemons? Have I missed my true calling? Maybe instead of Adrienne: Children's/Youth Pastor, it should be Adrienne: Hoodlum.